1. Field of Inventive Concepts
The inventive concepts disclosed herein generally relate to the diagnostic healthcare industry, and more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to web-based data and instrument management and interface systems and methods.
2. Brief Description of Related Art
Data management systems in the automated in vitro diagnostic healthcare industry are known and provide a solution to the growing need of point-of care coordinators (POCCs) and laboratory managers for centralized management and standardized testing procedures for their analyzers or other equipment, instruments, and devices. Analyzers include instruments for the detection and determination of urine chemistries and sediment, blood gases, electrolytes and metabolites, blood glucose, HbA1c, as well as numerous other analytes found in body fluids. Analyzers have recently come to include functionality such as operator and quality control lock-out, as well as communication choices of wireless or hard-wired networks and HL7 or POCT1-A2 protocols.
These connectivity enhancements are expected to increase the need for analyzers and other equipment to be managed by point of care (POC) information technology systems. For example, the POCT1-A2 POC connectivity standard, as implemented in the CLINITEK Status® Connect System (available from Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics Inc.), supports operator list downloads, remote device configuration, and remote control, in addition to patient and quality control results reporting. The RAPIDComm® v3.0 data management system works with the CLINITEK Status® Connect System's communication protocols to offer automatic operator list updates and downloads, triggered by changes in operator credentials and recertification updates.
Data management solutions for point of care instruments are traditionally only available with wired connections using laptops and are restricted to the physical location where the data management software is installed. Users are still using wired computers and workstations which need data management software installed on them. Another issue with prior art data management systems in medical institutions is that the institutions have many different ways of achieving connectivity; the right point-of-care solutions would accommodate these different connectivity scenarios.